Pipe beading apparatus



Apn'l 1s, 1940. C, v DEWAR 2,197,099

PIPE BEDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6, 1938` Patented Apr.y `16, 1940 y eine . yUIITED vs'liTl-S f PATENT OFFICE.; 'i 1 .2,197,099wv v PIPE BEADING APPARATUS I Charles V.l Dewar, Chicago,flll. v Application SeptemberG, 1938, Serial No. 228,524 i 1 claim.' (cl.- -1534s This invention relates to improvements' in tube or pipe beading apparatus particularly vadapted foruse withthinwalltubingof the kind'used for electric wiring. Such thin-wall tubingis extensivelyused as conduits kfor electric wiring,l but the Underwriters Laboratory prohibits the' use ofthreads at the ends of such thin-walltubes `for connection with couplings or other fittings. Moreover the Underwriters Laboratory requirements are. quite strict asy tothe amount of pulling stress that tube `fittings or connectionsmust withstand. Much effort has been directed toward the development of .a ysatisfactory. fitting connection for the ends of such thin-wall tubes that will give the requiredlstrength and yet vwill permit the tubes to be .cut to .proper length and applied easily and quicklyby the electrician on thev job.

In accordanceV with the. present invention, I provide aniinproved apparatus or fixture designed to form a raised bead at a predetermined distance from the end of thetube afterV the tube has been cut toilengthon the job, and kstandard; coupling members then appliedto the end `of -the ytube withA a minimum of time and eifort.

The lapparatus is of simple portable form so that it can be readily transported and utilized by thel electrician, and. includes a base or standard having means for detachably mounting' 'a plurality of bead-forming xtures of varying sizes, depending upon the size of tubing to4 be -usedonthe job.'

, The vbase or` standard is also provided with an integral socket member having `a plurality ofhexagonal-.fitting sockets and' holes therein adapted toassist in completingthe connection between the i tube and' the/threaded coupling sleeves associated therewith, asv will hereinafter more fully appear.

rshown in Fig.` 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the end of the tube after it has been operated upon by the beading apparatus and showing the coupling sleeves inr dotted lines as applied thereto.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the tube showingy the coupling sleeves in full lines as finally appliedv thereto.

, of base plate ZI.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view; of a beading-xture y interchangeable with and similar in all` respects to the form of fixture shown in Figs.` 1, 3 and 4,l excepting that it is designed .tohandle a larger standard size of tubing.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, the standard I0 comprises a base II and upright It?y having a U-shaped opening I3 thereinfor demountably receiving-a tubebending Afixture indicated generally at'A I4. In the formA shown, the standard II). is made up. of a pair of 'L-shaped plates I5 and I6 secured back to back, as by welding, and having their margins I'I and IB at opposite sides of the openingA I3 anged outwardly so as to form a pair of. upright l grooves I9, I9 for receiving lateral tonguesZIl, 20.

At one side of the opening I3 on the upright and 24 cut therein and registering with round holes 25 and 2li, respectively, extending through the standard I0, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and- 2.

The hexagonal hole 23A and its adjacent round hole 25 are larger than the hexagonal opening 424 and adjacent hole 26, so as to accommodate a larger size of standardy tube and coupling sleeve fittings as will hereinafter more fully appear.

` The beading fixture shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4,

consists of the base plate 2l which has. a mandrel n 30 projectingfrom the front `face thereof adjacent its Vbottom edge. lA plunger 33 is. disposedy above said mandrel and guided for reciprocable movementtoward 'and away therefrom inA guide members 34,` 34 fixed to the base plate 2|, by l is preferably mounted eccentrically on the stud v 4I with its nat cam surface 42 disposed at the point of minimum radius of said cam member.

Said cam member is rotated by a handle 45,v herein connected to the cam member by insertion in a bore 46 on the periphery of said cam member opposite the attened cam face 31.

The mandrel 3E! is of slightly smaller diameter than the interior dimension of the standard size tubing on which the fixture is designed to operate, and is suitably secured to the base plate 2| as by means of an` integral collar 41 fitting in a countersunk bore 48 and having a nut 49 threaded on the projecting rear end of said mandrel as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The stud 4| is secured to the base plate as by means of a nut 5U threaded on the projecting end of said stud, and has a head 5| on the outer end thereof engaging the outer face of the cam member 40. Theplunger is normally made `in raised position relative to the mandrel 3G by means of coil spring connected at its upper end to a pin 5S projecting from the head 5| of stud 4|, and pin .El projecting from the front face of the plunger 33.`

Adjacent the end of the mandrel 30 and at a xed distance from` the face of the base plate 2| is mounted an. elongated die projection 6l) disposed circumferentially of the mandrel and" extending approximately one-fifth of the total circumference of said mandrel. y j

The lower face of the plunger is formed with a cooperating concave surface 6| on a radius somewhat larger than that of the mandrel 30 so as to conform substantially with the exterior surface of a standard size of tubing to be operated upon. A transverse groove 62 is formed in the' lower surface of the plunger opposite the die projection on the mandrel, said groove being substantially wider and deeper than said projection so as to form a raised bead or rather a section of a bead on the end of a tube when the latter is placed on the mandrel and the plunger isdepr'essed by manual operation of the handle 45. By rotating the tube on the mandrel into a succession of angular positions, a continuous bead may thus be formed thereon as indicated v at in Fig. 5.

y The use and operation of my improved apparatus may now be described.

The standard Ill is suitablyxed on a board or other enlarged base which is preferably portable so as to be carried by the electrician to any v part of the buildingk or structure Where he is Working. The electric tubing is then cut to prop- .er lengths in the usual manner, and a xture I4 having a mandrel and cooperating plunger of the proper size to accommodate the particular y standard form of tubing being employed, is

mounted in the standard as shown in Fig. l. After the tubing has been cut tov length, a threaded vfemale coupling member 66 is placed on the body of the tube. The tube is then placed over y the mandrel 30 with its outer end engaging the bead formation about the entire circumference of.

the tube, as indicated at 65 in Fig. 5,

While in most "cases it is desirable toV form a bead yabout the 'entire circumference, vunder some circumstances two or more bead sections may be'sucient forthevpurpose, provided the raised bead extends over a substantial portiony this figure. vTo assist in this coupling operation the hexagonal portion 6810i the male couplingl member 6l is adapted to be inserted inthe proper hexagonal hole 23 or24 on the standard l0 at one side of the beading fixture,- with the threaded f portion 69 of said coupling member extending through `the hole 25er 26,I as. the case may be. With'thisarrangement it kis'only necessary to place the tube with its female coupling member |56` against the end of the male coupling member 61 while seated inits recesaand screw` the female member home with `a single Wrench while heldin this position;` The beading and coupling operationmay, therefore, be completed with a mini'- mum of timeandeffort, with the `use of but a singlewrench, orsimilar tool. f

It will be understood that When'tubinglof different size, as yfor instance a somewhat largersize yrequiring a mandrel 30a and cooperating plunger 33a as shown in Fig. '7, isl tolbe beaded, the fixture I4 may be removed from kthe standardy and the xture Illa insertedrin. its place.

Although. I have shown anddescribed one emi bodiment of kmy invention, it (will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to theexact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modications may be made 'Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a tube beading apparatus, a self-contained portable unit comprising la base plate, amandrel fixed on and projecting from one face of said plate to receive the endl of 'a tube thereon, a plunger reciprocably mounted'on said base plate for-movement relative to said mandrel, said mandrel and plunger having cooperating surfaces for forming a circumferentiallyextending boss on"r said tube, a stud xed to said basevv plate above said plunger, an eccentric cam member rotatably mountedbon said stud with its inner face bearing against said base plate and with. its cam sur-l face directly engaging said plunger, a coil spring n secured between the adjacent end of said plunger and the outery end of saidV stud normally retracting said plunger from said mandrel, andy ahah-v dle for rotating said eccentriccam member.

crilnnris V. DEWAR.' 

